Mother of Kerala man who ‘joined’ ISIS declared hostile

Mumbai: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday declared the mother of Ashfaque Majeed hostile. Kerala-based Majeed along with his wife and minor daughter is suspected to have left India to join ISIS. However, his mother on Friday told the court that the police had not recorded her statement and the copy of account lying with prosecution is not her statement.

Ashfaque’s mother Ayesha hails from Kerala and understands only Malayalam and hence an interpreter was called to explain her questions asked by lawyers and answers given by her.

The prosecution case is that Ashfaque’s mother had told the police in her statement that her son had called her on phone and had informed her that he has left India and has joined ISIS however, on Friday in court she stated before special NIA judge Sameer Adkar that Ashfaque has left for Sri Lanka to study the Quran.

Since she claimed that the Mumbai crime branch, before the case was transferred to the NIA, had not recorded her statement special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves requested the court to declare her hostile. The judge allowed his application and then advocate Gonsalves started cross-examining the witness.

While answering questions asked by Gonsalves she denied most portion of her statement but during cross examination she confirmed that once Ashfaque had called her up and had informed her that he has joined ISIS.

Although, while answering questions asked by accused Arshi Qureshi’s defence lawyers Tahwar Khan Pathan and Ishrat Ali Khan Ayesha told the court that she never spoke to her son directly ever since he left the house.

Abdul Khan, a businessman from Nagpada area had registered a case in the Nagpada police station that Arshi Qureshi, a guest relation officer at controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s Islami Research Foundation (IRF), Mohammad Haneef, a Maulavi from Kerala and another suspect Rizwan Khan radicalised his son along with other accused.

 Based on this complaint the police arrested the trio but later the court discharged Maulavi and Khan from the case. after NIA informed the court that they didn’t find any evidence against them. Now Qureshi is facing the trial.